Winos & Wood Chips

Whether sharing which wine that one paired with their sumptuous smoked meal, asking questions about wine and what to serve, or posting photos of great feasts that were brined or marinated in vino...» More

With wine being in many things today - from wood chips, to swanky face creams, and crackers, candle scents, sea salts and more; what are some of your favorite random items which have a hint of vino in them? (Besides wine itself on its own).

AND; do any of those pair wonderfully with smoked food?

Do share!!!

Mine are:

Christian Dior's "L'Or de Vie" face cream line, which has Chateau D'Yquem dessert wine in it and feels fantastic on one's skin!

(One's skin just "drinks it in," and feels so very hydrated and SOFT).

And while that wine, (a Sauterne from France), is sweet (and best served when drizzled over some goat milk ice cream, in my opinion - does anyone else downright adore the La-Loo's delicious brand of ice creams???), I would imagine that this wine, or another Sauterne, could make one lovely marinade for something smoked! Just the right "sweetness meets almond-honey" flavors to make it interesting?

Hmmm....ideas now churning, as something to possibly try...

ALSO:

I love a SMOKED Chardonnay Sea Salt - seen above in the little can...

And used here, over some wonderfully smoked alligator, layered over some pumpkin-ginger noodles, with pumpkin seed oil drizzled all over it, chopped fresh chives, and this fantastic SMOKED CHARDONNAY SEA SALT!

A delicious dish - the smoked alligator being so juicy and soft and flavorful!

What I love about the salt most is the aroma!

Just when removing the lid, it is LOVELY! Almost buttery, almost vanilla-esque, almost like olives! It's a beautiful smell, and great savory addition to a smoked alligator meal, and most likely to any other!

OK, what are YOUR favorite random items which have some wine involved in them (besides just "wine" itself on its own) and how would you use them with smoked food, if able?

I guess I am lots more selfish than our honored poster above, cause my answer is ME.When a untasted bottle of wine comes to our house, That happens alot on acounta all the homemade wine we get from friends, it is sampled and catagorized into 1 of 3 catagories. If it is good enough for Peggy, it goes in the fridge in her wine spot. a lower shelf in the door. If not, I sample it and if it passes my much less particular palot I poor it into a gallon jug where it gets blinded with what ever else is in there at the time. You will see me refer to this jug as our house wine. The third slot is to cook with. What ever we dont like enough to drink straight up gets cooked with. In marinades, or reduced in sauces or used to deglaze etc.

And I love that Peggy has a "wine spot" in the fridge which is designated as "HERS!" I'm going to borrow and apply that idea here and for myself!!!! You can tell her I love that idea and think the whole house should honor it!

Meanwhile, it's fun too that you find a way not to waste the wine (cooking with it and such) and yet to still discern into the best use, and therefore put it into the best category!!!

Well done!!!!!

Clearly, your household is about FUN and LIVING! Such beautiful stuff!

I just KNEW that this thread would bring out the best people!!! I love these answers!!!

And your Sangria use is a great idea!!!

And there is nothing like a great Coq au vin served with CHILLED Beaujolais! (That combo being the only time I enjoy Beaujolais actually, although my Dad adores it and so there was much around when growing up).

In any event, your comment is fantastic, and of course reminiscent of the old over told joke, but yet I'll post it anyway....

Where a man and woman are sitting on the porch, underneath the stars, enjoying wine, and the moment is just perfect!

So the woman let's out a marvelous exhale and says, "Wow do I just love you..."

The man shrinks up, gets a little nervous, and grunts back, "Yeah right - is that YOU or the WINE talking?"

When my grandparents families immigrated to the US in 1904 they obviously carried with them some wild traditions from Italy. Aside from those wild cures for illnesses there was one dish we ate as kids that sticks in my memory. Have never heard or seen it since. They called it scatone. I've looked around the web to define and legitimize that it really was some kind of food but never found anything. All it really was ....homemade Italian red wine, heated hot and poured over spaghetti.

It's not nearly as exotic as face cream wine or smoked Cucamonga sea salt. As kids, all we knew was that they gave us wine

When my grandparents families immigrated to the US in 1904 they obviously carried with them some wild traditions from Italy. Aside from those wild cures for illnesses there was one dish we ate as kids that sticks in my memory. Have never heard or seen it since. They called it scatone. I've looked around the web to define and legitimize that it really was some kind of food but never found anything. All it really was ....homemade Italian red wine, heated hot and poured over spaghetti.

It's not nearly as exotic as face cream wine or smoked Cucamonga sea salt. As kids, all we knew was that they gave us wine

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leah Elisheva

Oh Knuckle47, I disagree and find your family gem to be VERY exotic!!!!!!!

That is absolutely WON-DER-FUL!!!

What could be better than a mound of spaghetti and wine on it???? Twirl, swirl, and smell "LIFE!!!!" I love that!!! Hell, I may even try it as it sounds so fun and so good! Really!!!

Such beautiful traditions from families!!!

Magnificent!!!!

Cheers!!! - Leah (I'm still using your terrific idea of pistachio shells instead of smoking chips and for all my smoking, Thank you for that again)!!!

Leah, I hope you read the post under cold smoking/ cheese about the pistachio smoking. I'm still sitting out the waiting period but it will be available for consumption shortly in about 10 days.... I'll surely let you know what happened.

By the way, as we both know the ways of the northeast kingdom, does Enosburg, east Berkshire, Richford, or North Troy sound like an old stomping ground for you?

Such a fun thread!!! I've loved each answer so much and hope that more people chime in too!!!!

Knuckle47, I just found that cheese thread and thank you thus for sharing that! I'm so excited to see what you're doing!!! I am sure it will be amazing and I am hooked on the pistachio shells now!

(My husband eats a ton of the roasted Unsalted ones daily now - I think that's helped his cholesterol actually - and so now instead of throwing out the shells, we save them and don't buy smoking chips anymore)!!! You started a good thing!!!

As for The "Kingdom," I was born and raised in Caledonia County (despite my father coming from NYC originally and my mother from Portland, Maine) and thus I'm not considered "Native Vermonter" by the "three generation" rule, despite how many cows I slept w.....OK, OK, enough silly humor, but yes, "Lyndonville," and "St. Johnsbury," and "Burke Mountain," and "Danville," and such, would be the area markers. (Two hours to Montreal by car - my favorite city in many ways - and so Magog, Canada, and then Sherbrooke and a few others became interesting runs for food and such too).

I am happy NOT to be in the Kingdom this season however. Even on the coast, we are happy to now see some Spring signs!!!

Funny, but since you know the area, I moved to Jay in the early 1970's... lived in a ski dorm for a ski season. Made beds, cooked breakfast and dinner for a load of college ski groups. Pay was room and board and a free ski pass. Extra money came from bags and bags of 5 and 10 cent deposit bottles and cans left behind by out of control kids drinking way too much. Some weekends we'd have over $200.00 worth of returnables in 1970's money. Ski passes then were $6 a day.

It was a place for crazy fun as the 7 bars and population under 500 made it a winter time party paradise but a summer time retreat for wandering souls of the late 1960's types.

Thanks to you and Muddy Waters, I started my morning out dancing (my dogs danced too) and so I thank you for that!!! Terrific stuff!

And Knuckle47; The Jay Peak quite wild days are STILL known and spoken of by many Vermonters apparently, and so it's a kick that you were part of all that! I'm sure it was fun!!! Today it is a major wedding haven I hear, and for many.

Nonetheless, even growing up at "the end of the earth" and in an area that had more cows than people, my eccentric family did gather daily, around wonderful food and quite copious bottles of wine.

And so that ritual called "dinner," (corks popping galore throughout), is still my very favorite time of day!